This invention concerns a solenoid valve for regulating the flow of fluids in a circuit, with special application to gas circuits, more specifically a pulsed solenoid valve piloted by a square electrical signal with a variable cyclic ratio and a fixed or variable frequency, the output rate of the valve being proportional to the cyclic ratio. This flow-regulating solenoid valve has special application to gas-powered home appliances, such as cooking or heating appliances, where it controls the flow of gas to the burners.
Such flow-regulating solenoid valves in gas burner control applications must work at relatively high temperatures; furthermore, in the type of application mentioned above, they must be able to go through a large number of cycles, on the order of several hundred million. Silent operation is also desirable.
The foregoing objectives are not fully satisfied by known flow-regulating solenoid valves. Specifically, it should be noted that in known solenoid valves, the magnet-actuated moving assembly, which includes the cylindrical moving core, as well as an obturator which cooperates with a fixed seat, is in most cases relatively massive. This assembly moves back and forth at the frequency of the electrical pulses which pilot the solenoid valve; and, it produces noise-generating internal shocks in the course of operation. Specifically, a shock can occur each time the oscillating assembly reaches the end-position furthest from the fixed seat, when the moving core comes into direct, unabsorbed contact with its guide. In addition to unwanted noise, such shocks produce wear and tear of the solenoid valve, which shortens its useful life.